How does having college credit benefit my child if they were to join the military? Having college credit is a major plus in the military. All services reward education because they are looking for bright individuals to fill the ranks. The military, believe it or not, pushes education more so than most other organizations. They reward current education, they hand you the opportunity to pursue future education (GI Bill), and once you’re in they even hand you money to take courses while you are serving (Tuition Assistance).
3 Major Benefits of Joining the Military with College Credit
- Enter at a higher paygrade. How high depends on the number of credits you have. This means your child will be making more money right out of the gate and this could be several hundred dollars more a month. There are different tiers to this system as well. The more credits the higher the rank (although there is a ceiling).
- Be an officer. With a college degree or college credits (all services are different when it comes to what is required), your child has the opportunity to apply to become an officer. Typically, when first entering the military you will be required to have at least a bachelor’s degree to apply to become an officer, however in some services, once you are already enlisted for a period of time you can apply with a certain amount of credits. The officer path opens up many different doors and an increased income. There is a lot of competition for these opportunities so there is a lot that goes into building a package for the selection panels. This is all done through a recruiter.
- Get Tuition Assistance. The amount available changes year to year but it is plenty for an individual to take college courses throughout the year while having a full-time job in the military. Tuition Assistance is free money to be used towards additional college credits. Certain schools have military prices that are exactly the amount provided through Tuition Assistance, meaning the courses are completely covered (University of Louisville). If they already have college credit, the path to a degree is that much closer. This is a path to a debt-free education and also an opportunity to become an officer.
The morals and values that exist in the homeschooling community are a great asset to all the services and the experiences and opportunities that will be provided to them will last a lifetime. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out.
